In offering advice to sellers on how to market their homes I've asked a guest, Teresa Colby-Dokubo a home staging expert in the Schaumburg Area to give us examples of most asked questions that she receives on a regular basis. I'm a huge fan of staging your home and this is great advice on a very important subject - the pet odors that you might not know that you have! Here's some great tips on thinking (and smelling) like a buyer prefers.
Animal odors can turn off potential home buyers and prevent your home from selling! Animal odors are the top of the 'Uh-oh' home selling list.
Before you sell your home, walk through with a professional home stager and/or realtor who will give you an unbiased and honest opinion. Pets are big culprits of bad odors, especially your beloved dogs and cats. I have a very keen sense of smell and I can smell dirty dog, dirty kitty litter and cat urine a mile away.
So what can you do? When preparing your home for sale you need to bathe your dog at least once a week and wash your pets beds and blankets regularly. If they sleep with you, you need to wash your bedding as well. Air out your house! If you have carpet you need to have it professionally cleaned to make sure the dirty dog smell is removed and neutralized. I had one client who was selling her condo after three years of renting to a family with a dog. The carpet was brand new when they moved in, but after 3 years and 3 professional carpet cleanings, the dirty dog smell remained and hit you like a brick when you entered the condo. My client was forced to replace the carpet. In the long run, this is worth the cost!
Keeping the kitty litter box clean and kept, if possible, in an out of site location is very important when selling your home. Make sure it is cleaned out at least once a day. Also, if your cat has urinated on carpet or hardwood floors, it is a must to have those surfaces cleaned and
neutralized by a professional. Cat urine smell is one of the most offensive smells to potential buyers.
Other pets such as birds, guinea pigs and gerbils can also create offensive odors. It is imperative your pet's cage is kept clean and preferably set in a inconspicuous location such as in the basement or a corner of a bedroom. You don't want the cage being one of the first items a potential buyer sees when entering the home.
And, don't forget the yard. Make sure there are no dog droppings left around for a surprise on your buyers shoe!
Most animal smells in a home can be neutralized without spending a lot of money. Do it now, before you put your house on the market. If your house develops the reputation among real estate agents as the 'stinky dog' house or the 'was that a ferret house', you will end up being the last on their list to show potential buyers.
Remember, even if your potential buyer is a animal lover they are not a animal odor lover!!
Teresa-Colby Dokubo
Teresa's Touch Interiors (847)917-1028
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